Anglers Hook Top Condition Trout, Never Mind the Weather

Grey skies and choppy water didn’t deter hundreds of fishers who turned out this morning on Lake Tarawera – angling for a trophy fish at the start of the new trout season (October 1). At Boatshed Bay alone, Fish & Game officers counted 117 vehicles and trailers parked up, as their owners took to the water.

Fish in good condition were weighed in, one or two tipping the scales at more than 3kgs. Fish & Game Officer Mark Sherburn says it was very pleasing to weigh and measure fish like a two year rainbow which weighed 2.9 kgs, “the biggest two year old I’ve seen on opening day.”

The hatchery-bred fish had done some “phenomenal” growing to reach that size after one year in the lake. The fishing was harder at the Ohau Channel on Lake Rotorua, known for some monster brown trout catches. Anglers said the fishing had been slow, with a brown one of the larger fish caught.